Elite Event: Made in the Bay

Awesome event! Thank you Bento for the delicious dinner! Bento is an app which allows you to customize/​build your own bento style dinner box and have it delivered to you in SF within minutes. The sashimi platter and brussel sprouts were my favorites! Also, big thanks to Sir Kensington’s for the condiments! Their special sauce was a winner! It is similar to In n Out’s special sauce but creamer and smoother, loved it!
In additional to eating all this good food, it was really great learning about the Timbuk2 history, touring their corporate office and seeing their production line for custom bags. I had no idea all of their custom bags were handmade in the city and can be done in as little as one day! It was also very interesting to get a sneak peak at their 2016 product line!
Overall, great event, great food, great drinks, and great company. Thanks Unilocal for having me!

Loved getting the chance to check out this new Timbuk2 location and also hear a little more about their story. Would’ve never known about this location otherwise!
As far as the event, the local food/​drink vendors that were brought in really stole the show!
My favorites were Thatcher’s, SIr Kensington’s saucy sauces, Frjtz French Fries and Mission Minis among others (and I even don’t even like cupcakes usually).
So thanks to everyone at Unilocal and Timbuk2 who helped put on a great event! I know all of the guests felt very at home at this relaxed and intimate event. I’ll definitely be back «on my own dime» to check out the Factory Store another time. Because while I’m happy to have escaped without buying a new bag (my wallet certainly thanked me for that), I am certainly looking forward to the Spring ’16 designs that we were showed on the tour, definitely some promising options in that group!

Thanks to everyone that helped put this together — everyone at Unilocal,Timbuk2, all of the different food/​drink providers, and most of all Abby! In contrast to my first YEE, this one was a bit lower-​key, and put a spotlight on a local San Francisco business. I actually had inherited a Timbuk2 bag (and ended up trading it in for a new one) a few months ago when I moved here, and had no idea about the back story of the company and how it all started. Good thing they made the decision to change the name to Timbuk2, the original name wasn’t quite as catchy!
Timbuk2 really welcomed us and I enjoyed the tour of the entire office and factory. We even got a chance to see what next year’s designs would be — something few people will see (until next year, of course). The work environment is about what you’d expect at a SF tech company, so no real surprises there. All the Timbuk2 people were really friendly, ready to give interesting facts, and willing to help with anything. As I mentioned, I traded in my old bag for a discount towards an already-​discounted new bag! I was happy to support a local business after learning about its origins, and I’ve already recommended it to multiple people.
A few other highlights:
Bento — This was a great discovery and I do plan on ordering one in the future. 1 main and 4 sides is a full lunch or a light dinner — the food was all pretty good, albeit a bit on the cold side (no minus points for that — i wasn’t one of the first ones to get it).
Clearly Kombucha — Not only is this kombucha really tasty, I learned a lot about their product and why it’s better than the competition. A lot of other kombuchas are not palatable to a lot of people, but the 3 flavors I tried here were all pleasant and without too much of the vinegar taste that people typically complain about.
Sir Kensington’s — Ketchup without high fructose corn syrup? Sign me up. Their special sauce was also really tasty, but a bit heavy after a while. You can’t eat too much of it, but you’ll enjoy it as much as you can stand. Locally-​sourced ingredients and a high quality product — I hope to see it more often in the Bay Area.
Thatcher’s Gourmet Popcorn — I tried both popcorn types, and they were both pretty good. Good crunch and flavor levels. My only comment would be that I would never have guessed the flavors unless someone told me. Especially the jalapeño cheese variety — it wasn’t spicy and it kind of tasted like the Pirate’s Booty white cheddar popcorn.

Such a treat to have great food/​snacks and followed by a tour of Timbuk2.
Lots of great vendors: Bento, Kombucha, Deux Punx, Frjtz French Fries, Mission Minis, Sir Kensington’s and Thatcher’s Gourmet.
Bento was a pretty cool concept (delivery food service) with the option of customizing your meals by professional chefs! Proportions are great and served in a cute bento :) The fries were excellent, thick cut and paired well with the Kensington’s sauce or as so they say their «special» sauce. If I were to guess, it’s a combo of mayo, thousand island and sriracha. The wine from Deux Punx were really great, too! Bottles had super cute designs as I’m a sucker for cute things. I tried their Rose and Chardonnay and loved the Rose. I ended my meal with the cupcakes provided by Mission Minis. Yes, they were mini and great for someone like me that’s supposedly on a diet, haha. But great variety and frosting was finger licking good!
And now to the tour. It was a privilege to get a tour of their factory which was right next to the store. We had two great tour guides which made the tour exciting and fun. To see the whole process and the history of Timbuk2 was very inspiring. The reason I love SF. After this experience, my appreciation for Timbuk2 grew. It was amazing how customization has grew. Anything you can think of, they’re probably already on it for the next year.
Thank you again Abby, for making my Unilocal events memorable!

This was my first Unilocal Elite event, and I couldn’t have asked for a better one to get me hooked. First of all, Timbuk2 is widely recognized for their unique and high-​quality products, particularly in the messenger bag and backpack realm. What may be less known is the fully customizable bag process that is truly hand-​made-​to-​order and shipped out within 2 – 3 days AND a lifetime warranty!
The tour guides did a great job showing us around, sharing Timbuk2’s history, the shop, the factory, the workspaces, ideas, and explaining the whole bag-​making process. Everyone I spoke to who works there loves their job and are true lovers of this city.
All products were put on sale for us 20−40% off. A full on meal (provided by Bento) was served, along with other vendor samples, despite earnings that we would still need to eat dinner on our own.
All in all, Timbuk2 makes bags that make sense. And if they don’t already have a bag that suits your needs, they’ll make one and make sure that it does.

I’ve been a fan of Timbuk2 products for some time and have been putting the same backpack to use for over 5 years now. Other than bike rides (naturally), my Timbuk2 bag has been my companion through parts of Europe, South America, and even local trips to the gym!
I was stoked about this event given my respect for the company/​brand. It was really cool to see where all the magic happened. The office /​factory set up was good reflection of how innovative, cool, and stylish Timbuk2’s products are. Our tour guides did a great job with a history lesson, showing us around, and dropping «fun facts» (7 trillion+ custom combinations! DANG, son!)
Unilocal did a great job with the even, ensuring that we were well fed by some great local vendors and hooking us up with some BEvERages. Thanks!

Loved! This was my first Unilocal Elite event, and while I was expecting something great, the time I had far exceeded even my existing high expectations! ;)
Everything was delicious, and nothing hurt (Vonnegut, anyone?). I’d seen a few Timbuk2 bags around, but wasn’t super familiar with the company, so it was cool to check out the diversity of bags when the event began, and even better to be munching at the same time! The bento folks were super friendly, and their food plentiful and wonderful, and I made extra space for the delectable Frijtz+Sir Kensigton, and of course, a to-​die-​for red velvet Mission Mini! After the tour, I imbibed in a little Deuces Punx rose and nibbled on Thatchers on my way home. Then, a bottle of Clear Kombucha was my nightcap!
And that doesn’t even get to the tour, which was so engaging and informative. Our guides embodied a brand and spirit I felt totally sucked into while we walked through the space; I’m already scheming to order someone I love a customized Timbuk2 bag as a result! If they have any open marketing positions in the future, I may apply to join the stylish, functional, SF-​lovin’ team, too. ;)
Thanks so much for organizing, Abby and team — can’t wait to experience more events!

I’ve been meaning to visit TimBuk2 for some time now, so it was cool to be invited during a Unilocal event.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I ended up arriving late which meant I missed the tour (curses!!). Still, I got to peruse and look at all the awesome baggage. Very impressive stuff. Made my Mission Workshop pack look a little… boring.
No Unilocal event is complete without bites and this time was no exception. So many cool things to try. And I love learning about new products, too!
Bento Box: great concept with very clean food! Loved the duck confit.
Sir Kensington’s: wonderfully made ketchups and sauces; I’m a fan!
Mission Minis: wow, great frosting on that double chocolate!
Deuces Punx Wine: I’m horrible with wine, but these gals know their stuff. I’ll pick some up in the future. Love the name!
Clearly Kombucha: very drinkable, low sugar, and less vinegary — perfect!
Frjtz French Fries: still darn good an hour later… imagine them fresh!
I ended up sharing the extra provisions with some of the homies around the way. They all gave 5 stars, as well!
Thanks to Abby for another event that incorporates small businesses in the city. Spread the love!

What a fun event! One of the reasons I love being apart of the Unilocal community is for events like this one. I love discovering new local products (Mission Minis, Bentos, Clearly Kombucha — I’m looking at you), and while I’ve known that Timbuk2 was a SF company, I had no idea how much Timbuk2 loved SF.
While it was fun perusing the store, the tour was the best part. It was so interesting to learn about the team, the ins and outs of the company, and about how you can eat cereal right out of their bags with no leaks — they are that good. I might need to test that. Harrison — thanks dude!
Thank you to Abby and team for hosting! You are all just the best.

I love seeing the behind-​the-​scenes of how something is made so was rather excited for this Unilocal Elite event of the Timbuk2 factory tour! It was neat to hear the story of how Timbuk2 was founded, learn about its patented 3-​panel messenger bags, and get a sneak peak at the upcoming 2016 designs. From hearing about the gong that is sounded on Tues & Fri company-​provided lunches and learning about how their marketing team did a test run of the waterproof capabilities of some of their messenger bags by eating cereal & milk straight out of the bag, Timbuk2 certainly sounds like a fun work environment!
I was surprised at the amount of food at this event from the innovative meal packaging from Bento to the delicious cupcakes from Mission minis. The rosé from Deux Punx was delicious, not too sweet and very refreshing summer wine! Thanks Abby & team for putting together a great event!

Thanks Abby & Team for a wonderful event!
This was my first SF YEE since I converted from SBay~SF. I could not have asked for a better event. Here are a few things that made it great:
1) It was Elites only. This encouraged mingling, chatting, and fostering new friendships!
2) There was plenty of food/​drinks, and not enough stomach space. Didn’t think that was possible, did you? We had full on meals from Bento Box, popcorn if you checked in, Sirkesington condiments (the real star) accompanied by Frijtz fries, Mission Minis, Clear Kombucha, Deuces Punx.
3) There was a sale! Timbuk2 marked down on their sample items for us to purchase. Who doesn’t love a great savings?
4) A well-​led tour of the factory by Harrison that included tons of facts, pop quizzes (who didn’t love that pet carrier!!!), and sentimental moments.
Timbuk2 is such a gem and I can’t wait to frequent their business in the near future. Thanks again for the opportunity to connect within our local community!

Thank you Abby for another great event !! I was excited about going to the Timbuktu factory store (super easy to find by muni 14 bus to 20^th then two blocks down or on the 12 get off on Folsom and 20^th if you ride muni like me) easy to spot right on the corner. So I’ve been in the market to buy a new backpack and riding muni everyday you see so many brands so it was great to see all the products close up but what was the deciding factor to me was — yes I bought a backpack the factory tour and learning all about the company founded in 1989 here in the Mission in SF it was fascinating seeing all the stages of how the bags are made from seeing the pods where all the employees are hearing about everyone’s rolls then seeing the sewing area, the materials and fabrics used the shipping area so interesting just seeing how the bags are made ! I love that it’s a local San Francisco business plus amazing how fast a customized bag takes to get made super fast !!! Also they have t– shirts too in the store staff are super enthusiastic about their products and are really excited talking about it I had already decided during the factory store that Timbuktu was going to be my next backpack and after the tour picked mine out I love it plus there were staff there giving lots of advice. Ok now let’s talk about the delicious food– Bento — bentonow is the app I believe you pick one main dish and four small sides — wow delicious I am going to try this some time check it out ! Also there was sir Kensington — tomato ketchup (using local tomatoes) and the incredible special sauce. Run to whole foods and buy some amazing flavor plus they are in some of the bigger restaurants like Zuni and salt house to name a couple also mission minis cute tiny little cupcakes my fave the red velvet. But if you are in the market for a messenger nag backpack definitely check Timbuktu out you won’t regret it plus the have a lifetime guarantee !!

Thank you Abby! This was my first elite event, so it was an extra special experience. I definitely enjoyed learning more about the local businesses that we have here in SF! Mission Minis, Bento, Sir Kensington’s, Thatcher’s Popcorn, and that local winery (sorry I didn’t catch the name!). Thanks for the Kombucha too, Clearly Kombucha! Really really cool. Thanks again to you guys for hosting us! It was an awesome experience. Looking forward to hopefully attending future events!

Wonderful event tonight! I was so impressed with Timbuk2 that I purchased a new work backpack at the end of the tour. Harrison rocked on the tour of the factory. The little details and fun facts that he shared really made me embrace what they are doing as a local made business. Fits in with all the things I love about SF — ability to eat local, work local and buy local. Now if only the housing market would calm the eff down…
Thank you Abby and Unilocalers for pulling together such a fun summer school event. Loved the bites, which were far from small! I’m definitely going to check out Bento which had a great assortment to choose from. The ketchup from Sir Kensington was yummy. I regret I missed out on Mission Minis and the drinks (sad face), but I know where to find them.
Will definitely head back to Timbuk2 soon. Gotta get the kids new bags for the upcoming school year. Though I may find an excuse to get myself one of those custom bad boys for myself.
Until the next YEE! SYOY!

Thanks Abby. Another great event! Was really cool to learn more about Timbuk2. Had no idea it was manufactured in SF.
Really interesting to be able to tour the factory but also get to try some local companies like Bento, mission minis and Sir Kensingtons special sauces with the yummy fries! And my new favorite place Thatchers popcorn. Fun night :-))